Sigurdsson believes his ex-teammate can get Wales to Euro finals

TOTTENHAM midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson believes the future for Wales is bright thanks to the sensational form of his former teammate, writes Michael Pearlman.

The Icelandic international made his comeback from a leg injury in Wednesday’s 3-1 defeat to the Dragons in Cardiff, his first action in over a month.

And it was also the first time that the former Swansea and Reading midfielder has shared a stadium with his former Spurs colleague Gareth Bale.

And with the world’s most expensive player in such incredible form, Sigurdsson thinks Wales are on that up with a genuine shot at Euro 2016 qualification.

“Gareth Bale? He wasn't that good! He was fantastic. He has so much pace, it's hard to defend against him when he's playing like that. He's got a lot of confidence now, he's fantastic,” Sigurdsson explained.

“He's grown since I went to Tottenham. He's taken more responsibility, I think he had to do that when Ronaldo wasn't playing, he's done really well for Madrid and he's a key player for Wales.

“Trying to deal with him is very difficult. You try and make sure no-one passes it to him because you can't defend against him because when he gets the ball and starts running you're in trouble.”

Indeed, Sigurdsson was so impressed with Bale he admitted it was a performance unlike any other he’s seen while wearing an international jersey.

I can't remember seeing an international performance like that one. He's a fantastic player, but Wales have a lot of good players with Aaron Ramsey missing too. They are a young side and in the future they'll be a top team to play against,” he said.

“Going forward they have a lot of goals, they have Joe Allen, King, Ramsey, the squad are more than capable of going close to (qualifying for the) Euros.”

Sigurdsson is now targeting a return to first team action at White Hart Lane after being out since January.

“It is an important time for us, we have Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Southampton and then two games in the Europa League against Benfica so it's a make-or-break month for us,” he said.